Many individuals and industries have a need to monitor the concentration of particular constituents in a fluid. The oil refining industry, wineries, and the dairy industry are examples of industries where fluid testing is routine. In the health care field, individuals such as diabetics, for example, have a need to monitor a particular constituent within their bodily fluids. A number of systems are available that allow people to test a body fluid, such as, blood, urine, or saliva, to conveniently monitor the level of a particular fluid analyte, such as, for example, cholesterol, proteins, or glucose. Such systems can include a test strip where the user applies a fluid sample and a meter that “reads” the test strip to determine the analyte level in the fluid sample.
Further, accurate measurements of concentration levels in a body fluid, such as blood, may be critical to the long-term health of many users. As a result, there is a need for a high level of reliability in the meters and test strips used to measure concentration levels in fluids.
It would be advantageous to have a system which would allow for a cost effective auto-calibration system for diagnostic test strips that more reliably and more accurately provide a signaling code for individual test strips.